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Biomedical subjects

N Baba

Publications and source records attributed to N Baba.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Radical pancreatectomy for ductal cell carcinoma of the head of the pancreas.

Seventy-four patients were treated with a radical or a nonradical pancreatectomy for ductal cell carcinoma of the head of the pancreas. Their survival rates and the selection of the operative procedure were evaluated. In 32 patients, a radical pancreatectomy was attempted where there was sufficient clearance of regional or juxta-regional lymph nodes beyond the group of suspected metastatic nodes, as well as a resection of a greater margin of soft tissue around the pancreas. These patients' cumulative 5-year survival rate was 33.4%. In 14 Stage I or Stage II patients, the cumulative 5-year survival rate was 46.4%. In 18 Stage III or Stage IV patients, the cumulative 5-year survival rate was 20.7%. For 42 patients treated with a nonradical pancreatectomy with the dissection of lymph nodes adjacent to the pancreas or of regional lymph nodes but with insufficient clearance of the soft tissue around the pancreas, the cumulative 2-year and 3-year survival rates were 5.4% and 0%, respectively. In seven patients with Stage II carcinoma, the survival rate was 16.7% after 2 years and 0% after three years. In 35 Stage III or Stage IV patients, the survival rate was 3.2% after 2 years and 0% after 3 years. Thus, the survival rates were significantly higher in patients treated with radical operation than in patients who had nonradical operation. These results indicate that a radical pancreatectomy with sufficient lymph node clearance with the surrounding connective tissue around the pancreas is indispensable to cure patients with ductal cell carcinoma of the pancreas.

Adult↗

Serial section reconstruction using a computer graphics system: applications to intracellular structures in yeast cells and to the periodontal structure of dogs' teeth.

A computer graphics system for reconstruction from serial section micrographs was applied to intracellular details of a yeast target cell (Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell) induced by the alpha factor mating pheromone and was also applied to a periodontal structure of a dog tooth moved orthodontically. In the former, intracellular organelles and a distribution of vesicles could be clearly observed through the cell membrane using the transparent display method in which the smoothing of the reconstructed outer cell membrane surface by computer processing was applied to the transparent display. In the latter case, by cutting through a reconstructed dog tooth and its periodontal tissues, labiolingual and mesiodistal cut surfaces of the tooth and of adjacent alveolar bone could be observed with fine details (232 sections were used).

Animals↗

Application of ion-beam etching techniques to the fine structure of biological specimens as examined with a field emission SEM at low voltage.

The term "etching," in electron microscopy, refers to the removal of specimen surface layers and includes chemical, electrolytic, and ion-beam methods. The ion-beam etching process is used to remove layers of a target material by bombarding it with ionized gas molecules. Recently, the method has been applied to the field of biological specimens; however, the practical procedures for such organic materials have not been developed. In the present study, we used an apparatus in which a beam of argon ions is collimated and focused by electrostatic lenses onto an appropriate target. We demonstrated the optimum conditions to observe biological specimens that were treated with osmium tetroxide and tannic acid. The specimens were examined uncoated at low accelerating voltage using a field emission scanning electron microscope. According to our experiments, when a biological specimen was observed under high-resolution conditions at over 50,000x magnification, the optimum condition of ion-beam etching consisted of an accelerating volage of E = 1 keV and an ion-beam dose of It = 360-400 microA.min, depending on parts of the specimens. In order to decrease overetching, we had to choose factors such as E = 1-2 keV and It = 500 microA.min.

Animals↗

Blocking of lymphocyte surface binding sites for the soluble suppressor factor by protein-bound polysaccharide, PSK.

The ability of protein-bound polysaccharide (PSK) to block the suppressive activity of soluble suppressor factor (SSF) was investigated. The suppressive activity of SSF derived from U-937 cells on phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced lymphocyte proliferative (LP) response was significantly reduced in the presence of PSK. The release of SSF was not inhibited by the treatment of U-937 cells with PSK. The suppressive activity of SSF on LP response to PHA was significantly decreased by the pretreatment of responder lymphocytes with PSK. Studies to determine lymphocyte receptor activity were performed. PSK competed with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) which recognized the same receptor as SSF on the surface of the lymphocyte. Neither PSK nor serum competed with anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody. Thus, PSK may inhibit SSF-mediated suppression by competing for specific binding sites on the surface of responder lymphocytes.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Phenotypic heterogeneity of lymphoma of the skin.

We studied surface markers present in 56 cases of lymphoma of the skin by immunohistochemical staining, using the ABC (avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex) and PAP (peroxidase-antiperoxidase complex) methods. Of these cases, 49 were T-cell lymphoma and 7 were B-cell lymphoma. Ten of the 49 cases of T-cell lymphoma were adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). Twenty-five of 31 cases of T-cell lymphoma except ATL analyzed by the ABC method showed a helper/inducer phenotype (Leu2a-,Leu3a+), two cases showed a suppressor/cytotoxic phenotype (Leu2a+, Leu3a-), one case showed Leu2a+Leu3a+, one case showed an inducer phenotype (Leu2a-, Leu3a+, Leu9+), and one case showed OKT11+, Leu2a-, Leu3a-, Leu1-, Leu9+, CD25+, Leu10+, CD30+. One CD8+ lymphoma was Pagetoid reticulosis, and a CD4+, CD8+ lymphoma was lymphomatoid papulosis with erythematous plaque. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), previously described by Edelson et al., is defined as a helper T-cell lymphoma with marked affinity for the skin. In our study, 5 cases of T-cell lymphoma of the skin were not CTCL as described by Edelson et al. These results show that T-cell lymphoma of the skin is heterogeneous in nature. In other words, CTCL is one type but represents a major proportion of T-cell lymphomas of the skin.

Humans↗

Three-dimensional analysis of morphogenesis induced by mating pheromone alpha factor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Ultrastructural analyses of cytoplasmic changes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae X2180-1A (MATa) that had been treated with alpha factor were performed by using the freeze-substitution fixation method. After alpha factor treatment, cells exhibited a pointed projection, which is a unique pattern of oriented cell surface growth. The relationship between projection formation and intracellular organelles was examined using serial thin sections and computer-aided three-dimensional reconstructions. Using these analyses membrane vesicles and other organelles were detected, and studies on their dynamic structural reorganization became feasible. Production of membrane vesicles (average 65 nm in diameter) was induced upon exposure of the cells to alpha factor before projection emergence. The total number of membrane vesicles increased at the early stage and decreased at the late stage of projection formation. Three-dimensional analysis indicated that the vesicles were at first dispersed throughout the cell, then accumulated at the site where the projection formed. Morphological changes and multiplication of the Golgi body were seen during the process of projection formation. Other intracellular organelles (nucleus, vacuole, rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria) were also rearranged, showing a polar organization of the cytoplasm during projection formation.

Mating Factor↗

[The influence of truncal vagotomy or surgical sympathectomy on the pancreatic trophic effect of trypsin inhibitor upon normal rats and major pancreatectomized rats].

The influences of truncal vagotomy or surgical sympathectomy on the pancreatic trophic effect of oral administration of synthetic trypsin inhibitor (FOY-305) were examined upon normal rats and 85% major pancreatectomized rats. On normal rats, oral administration of trypsin inhibitor increased pancreatic weight, DNA content RNA content, protein content, pancreatic weight/DNA, RNA/DNA and protein/DNA. This pancreatic trophic effect seemed to be consisted of hyperplasia and hypertrophy of pancreatic acinar cell. Under truncal vagotomy or surgical sympathectomy, this trophic effect was not diminished. On major pancreatectomized rats, oral administration of trypsin inhibitor also caused pancreatic trophic action, consisted of hyperplasia mainly. And truncal vagotomy or surgical sympathectomy did not decrease this action. These results suggested that oral administration of trypsin inhibitor might be a beneficial method for functional recovery of remnant pancreas after major pancreatectomy even under the denervated state.

Animals↗

[Kimura's disease--immunohistochemistry using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies].

We report a case of Kimura's disease of the external ear occurring in a 30-year-old woman. Subcutaneous masses removed from auricular lesions showed histologic features of Kimura's disease including many lymphoid follicles in the dermis, around which marked infiltrations of tissue eosinophils and mast cells, fibrosis, and vascular proliferation were seen. Immunohistochemical study by peroxidase-anti-peroxidase complex method showed IgE deposition in the lymph follicles. Infiltrating cells of extrafollicular lesions were also shown to include many mast cells which were IgE-positive in cell membranes and Giemsa-positive on cytoplasmic granules. In addition, we tried to examine the distribution of IgE Fc receptor (Fc epsilon R) by avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method with specifically reacting monoclonal antibody to Fc epsilon R (H107). In the germinal centers of the lymph follicles, Fc epsilon R distributed with a lacynetwork pattern. The staining pattern of dendritic reticulum cells (DAKO-DRC) was similar to that of H107. These findings indicate that Fc epsilon R on follicular dendritic cells have a close relationship to the IgE immune response and also play an important role in the pathogenesis of Kimura's disease.

Adult↗

[T-cell lymphoma of the skin--clinicopathological relationships, therapy and survival].

We investigated the pretreatment characteristics and prognosis of T-cell lymphomas, including mycosis fungoides (MF), T-cell lymphoma of the skin other than MF (CTL), adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), immunoblastic lymphadenopathy (IBL)-like T-cell lymphoma and angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia (AILD), as well as B-cell lymphoma of the skin (CBL) and analyzed the prognostic factors for skin T-cell lymphoma when the skin was the organ initially or predoienantly involved. Twenty-eight cases of erythematous-stage MF, ten cases of plaque-stage MF, eleven cases of tumor-stage MF, twelve cases of ATL, eleven cases of IBL-like T-cell lymphoma/AILD, and eight cases of CBL were studied. CTCL patients were treated by photochemotherapy with topical 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) followed by VUA irradiation, electron-beam irradiation, or systemic chemotherapy. Complete remission (CR) was obtained with all of these therapies. However induction of CR was not a major prognostic factor in skin T-cell lymphoma, and the clinical stage was more valuable in this respect. No cases of death occurred among erythematous-stage MF patients, but eight out of 11 patients with tumor-stage MF died (mean survival rate, 38 months). The prognosis for tumor-stage MF was better than that of ATL (19 months) or IBL-like T cell lymphoma/AILD (28 months), but worse than those of erythematous-a plaque-stage MF. TNM staging of CTCL was also a useful factor for prognosis.

Aged↗

[Surgical stress and immunosuppression in cancer patients].

The immunosuppression caused by surgical stress in cancer therapy may affect the prognosis of patients by enhancing the residual tumors. An investigation of changes of lymphocyte subsets and suppressor cell activity during the postoperative course was performed for the analysis of the immunosuppression caused by the surgical stress in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. In patients undergoing the surgical stress of total gastrectomy or esophageal resection, CD4+2H4- (helper T) and CD8+CD11-(cytotoxic T) cells significantly depressed on day 1 after operation and remained until day 7. In these patients, CD4+2H4+ (suppressor inducer T) cells significantly increased from just after the operation, remained to increase until day 1 after operation and recovered to the preoperative level thereafter. Concanavalin A-induced suppressor cell activity peaked on day 4 and decreased thereafter. However, in patients with benign disease, decreases of helper and cytotoxic T cells were found to a slight degree. The population of lymphocytes with surface receptors for a soluble suppressor factor significantly increased on day 1 after operation in patients receiving esophageal resection and continued to increase until day 30. In patients with preoperative treatment of PSK and cyclophosphamide, the decreases in helper and cytotoxic T cells and the increase in suppressor inducer T cells were significantly blocked during the postoperative course. Thus, these results indicate that extensive surgical stress such as total gastrectomy and esophageal resection may be attributable to the immunosuppression produced by the induction of suppressor cells, and the necessity of pre- and post- operative immunotherapies may be indicated for a better prognosis.

Esophageal Neoplasms↗

[Clinical efficacy of intratumoral administration of BRM in advanced cancer and their mechanism of actions].

The clinical efficacy of intratumoral (IT) administration of BRM in 157 patients with unresectable or recurrent tumors was investigated, and the infiltration of lymphocyte subsets into tumor tissues after IT administration of BRM was immunohistologically examined, to analyse its action mechanism. BRMs used in this study were OK-432, tumor necrosing factor (TNF), whole peptide glucagon (WPG), interferon (IFN)-alpha, IFN-beta, IFN-gamma and interleukin-2 (IL-2). Among them, one hundred thirty-one patients were evaluable for clinical effects, and the therapeutic response rate (CR + PR) was determined in 11/131 (8.4%). Higher therapeutic responses were found in the patients with esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, respectively. As for the relationship between the clinical efficacy of IT administration of BRM and the injected sites, the injection into metastatic lesions was more effective than that into the primary or local recurrence. A increase of lymphocyte infiltration after IT BRM immunotherapy and a variety of lymphocyte subsets in tumor tissue injected with any BRMs were found immunohistologically. These results suggest that IT BRM immunotherapy may be effective for the control of tumor growth locally through host-mediated action.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

Ultrastructural analysis of neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease using computerized digital processing.

The ultrastructure of neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease was analyzed by computerized digital processing of electron micrographs. Processing of the electron micrographs consists of four steps: digitizing the electron micrograph, Fourier transformation, noise filtering and inverse Fourier transformation and Laplacian operation. In the present study, we have confirmed that neurofibrillary tangles are composed of a pair of helical filaments (PHF), which appear characteristically as an unbranched rigid structure. The periodicity of PHF is 78 nm on the diffractogram. The dimensions of PHF obtained by our analysis, although basically similar to those described earlier by other investigators using conventional techniques, more precisely defines its structural conformation. We have also demonstrated that the spatial relationship of two filaments appears symmetrical after two-way tilting of the specimen about the axis of rotation. Our observations emphasize the importance of digital image processing as an effective tool for structural analytical research in biology and medicine.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

The regulation of natural killer cell activity by splenic nonspecific suppressor cells and its modification in cancer patients.

Spleen cells (SC), splenic venous blood lymphocytes (SVL) and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from gastric and esophageal cancer patients were simultaneously tested for natural killer (NK) and nonspecific suppressor (Ts) cell activities. Furthermore, the influence of Ts activity on the augmentation of NK activity by a biological response modifier (BRM) was also investigated. Positive Ts activities were frequently detected in the SC, SVL and PBL of advanced cancer patients. The NK activities of SC and SVL were maintained even in advanced cancer patients, though significantly depressed NK activities were observed in the PBL of advanced cases. Cancer patient SC, SVL and PBL with positive Ts activity showed low NK activities. Moreover, the NK activities of SVL and PBL were low in the patients with positive Ts activity in SC. The NK activity of normal control PBL was strongly augmented by interleukin 2, interferon and OK-432. These BRMs exhibited comparable capacities to augment the NK activities of SC, SVL and PBL with negative Ts activity in cancer patients, however, the effects of these agents seemed to be low in cells with a positive Ts activity. These results suggested that NK activity might be regulated by nonspecific suppressor cells and the presence of suppressor cells might affect the augmentation of NK activity through BRM in circulating blood lymphocytes and also in spleen cells.

Adult↗

The clinical efficacy of intratumoral OK-432 administration in advanced cancer patients.

The clinical efficacy of intratumoral (IT) OK-432 immunotherapy in advanced cancer patients was investigated. Furthermore, the infiltration of lymphocyte subsets into the tumor tissues after the IT administration of OK-432 was also immunohistologically examined in order to analyze the mechanism of action of OK-432 immunotherapy. Forty-four patients with advanced cancer were treated with IT OK-432 immunotherapy. Ten KE (1 mg) of OK-432 was given either daily or on every second day and repeated as often as possible, the mean frequency of OK-432 injections being 18.1 +/- 14.5 times, ranging between 5 and 25 administrations. Thirty-one of the 44 patients were evaluable, 3 of whom (9.7 per cent) developed a partial response and 5 (16.1 per cent) a minor response. Intratumoral OK-432 immunotherapy, however, did not necessarily prolong the survival time. Leu 1, 3 and 7 reactive cells infiltrated into the tumor tissues treated by OK-432 injection, more frequently, when compared with cells which had been treated by recombinant TNF injection. Thus, it was suggested that IT OK-432 immunotherapy might be effective for the local control of tumor growth through the host mediated action, and that, in combination with systemic therapy, may enhance the clinical effects and prolong the survival time in advanced cancer patients.

Adult↗

A case of cutaneous T cell lymphoma treated with recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2).

We report a case of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) treated with local injection of recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2). The biopsy specimen showed marked infiltration of large convoluted cells admixed with small lymphocytes and histiocytes in the epidermis, dermis and subcutis. After six injections of rIL-2, 4 nodules out of 5 on the left lower leg disappeared and the remaining large nodule was diminished in size. A biopsy specimen from the diminished nodule showed infiltration of small lymphocytes with histiocytes and plasma cells in the dermis. The atypical cells, large hyperconvoluted lymphocytes, had disappeared. A large number (28%) of lysozyme- and alpha 1-anti-chymotrypsin-positive cells were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. The patient maintained complete remission for a period of 13 months. He then noticed a small red nodule on the back of the left foot, which was histologically confirmed as a recurrence. Chemotherapy cleared the lesion.

Adult↗